Dare to Dream
by AnastaziaDanielle
Summary: Mitchell falls asleep and dreams of something he and Annie can never have.


Disclaimer: I do not own Being Human. It belongs to Toby Whithouse.

Author's Note: My brain refused to cooperate with "Land of the Living" or "At First Sight." Instead, it churned out this little one-shot. Enjoy!

Dare To Dream

Mitchell cradled Annie against his chest as they lay in his bed and listened as the front door opened and closed. The low rumble of George's voice drifted up the stairs followed by Nina's quick answer. Annie shifted on the bed and brought a hand up to curl beneath her chin as she shifted her leg to rest between Mitchell's.

"They're so happy," she murmured.

"Yes and no one deserves it more than they do," Mitchell responded as his hand drew rhythmic circles on her lower back.

"Mmm," Annie murmured drowsily. As a ghost, she did not sleep, but had found that she was able to relax when she was in Mitchell's bed ensconced in his arms.

Mitchell sighed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. George and Nina had been out baby shopping and would no doubt be eager to show their roommates what they had purchased for their new little one that was on the way. Mitchell knew by the look he frequently saw in Annie's eyes that she bore the desire to have a child. That opportunity had been ripped away from her when Owen had pushed her down the stairs. It made Nina's pregnancy bittersweet for his ghostly girlfriend. She was happy for Nina, yet she sorrowed for the child she knew she could never have.

"I love you, Annie," he murmured, pressing a tender kiss into her curly hair. More than anything, he wished he could give her the child her heart desired, but neither of them was capable of making that happen. He sighed deeply and held her closer against him.

"Love you, too, Mitchell," she replied against his neck, her lips cool against his skin.

The dark-haired vampire found himself being lulled to sleep by the comforting pattern Annie was tracing on his chest with the tips of her fingers.

"_Congratulations!" _

_Mitchell blinked as Nina, dressed in her blue scrubs, pressed a squalling baby wrapped in a pink blanket into his arms._

"_You have a daughter," she enthused with a wide smile. "Annie will be just fine."_

_Mitchell gazed down at the small being cradled awkwardly in his arms. Her tiny face was screwed up in frustration as she cried, but her head was crowned with a thick mop of dark hair. _

"_Mitchell," Annie called, "I want to see our daughter."_

_He shook himself out of his confused stupor and walked to Annie's bedside, nervously transferring the baby into her waiting grasp. The child was so tiny; he was afraid he was going to break her._

"_Look at my beautiful little girl," Annie crooned to the infant in her arms. _

_The baby's crying slowly became a whimper as Annie stroked her plump cheeks and ran a trembling hand over the tiny head of dark hair. The baby opened her eyes and blinked owlishly up at her parents. _

_A gasp caught in Annie's throat. "Mitchell, her eyes are shaped just like yours." She reached up to cup his face with one hand, and he leaned in to place a tender kiss on her lips._

"_With your skin tone and mouth," he pointed out with a huge smile. "And she is destined to have curly hair."_

_Annie chuckled and leaned against him tiredly as she cradled their daughter against her chest. Delivering this little girl had been the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life, but the baby was worth every second of the agony she'd endured._

"_So are we going with the name we decided on?" Mitchell asked Annie as his arm slid around her shoulders. They both watched as the infant screwed up her face and began to fuss once again._

"_I think it suits her," Annie mused as she allowed the baby to wrap her tiny fist around her pointer finger._

"_Why is she crying?" Mitchell fretted, reaching out to run a soothing hand over the baby's head of dark hair. "Is something wrong with her?"_

"_She's hungry," Nina pointed out. She quietly helped Annie situate the baby at her breast._

_The new parents watched in awe as the infant latched on and began to nurse greedily. "Would you look at that," Mitchell breathed wondrously. "Annie, she's amazing."_

"_So what name did you decide on?" Nina asked as she ran a gentle fingertip over the top of the baby's dark hair._

_Annie smiled and kissed Mitchell tenderly on the lips before looking back up at Nina. "We named her after Mitchell's grandmother, Darcy." Annie beamed with pride as Nina helped her shift baby Darcy to her other breast._

"_Darcy Clare," Mitchell explained. "She shares a middle name with her mother."_

"_Beautiful," Nina replied. _

_Once Darcy finished nursing, Nina showed Annie how to settle her against her shoulder to produce a burp. "I'll give you some time alone with your daughter and go see George in the waiting room," Nina smiled. The doctor had finished up with Annie and stepped out to check on another patient._

_Annie smiled tiredly at Mitchell once they were alone._

"_Our daughter," he smiled happily. "I like the sound of that."_

"_Me, too," Annie yawned. Darcy chose that moment to let out a loud belch that had both of her parents chuckling._

"_She's a greedy little imp," Mitchell laughed as he placed his hand on his daughter's back._

"_Hey," Annie protested sleepily as she leaned deeper into his side._

_Mitchell wrapped both of his girls in his arms. "I have never been so happy, Annie," he murmured against the warm skin of her temple._

"Mitchell, Mitchell, wake up." Annie poked him gently in the side and he grunted in protest. "Mitchell, George is calling us. He wants to show us the things he and Nina picked out at the store."

The vampire opened his eyes to see Annie staring down at him from her position propped on an elbow at his side. "I was dreaming," he stated as he tried to clear his foggy thoughts.

"About what?" she asked as she traced the line of his jaw with her fingertips. A frown tugged the corners of her mouth downward at the look of sadness in his eyes.

"We were parents," he murmured, his hand moving to cup her face tenderly. "We had a daughter and named her Darcy Clare. Her first name was after my grandmother."

Tears welled in Annie's eyes. "That is a beautiful name, Mitchell. What did our daughter look like?"

"She was so tiny," he told her, showing her just how small with his hands. "Her skin was the same color as yours and she had your lips. You pointed out that her eyes were shaped like mine and she had a head full of dark hair. We watched as you breastfed her. She was just so perfect." Mitchell found it hard to swallow past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.

"Sounds like a beautiful dream," Annie sighed longingly. "I wish I could have shared in it with you."

"It was so amazing, Annie, and I wish you could have dreamed it with me." He cupped her face and pulled her down for a tender kiss. "I wish things could be different for us, but as long as I have you by my side I am happy," he admitted.

"Me, too," she nodded. "At least we get to be an uncle and auntie." A small smile touched her lips as she stood up and reached for Mitchell's hand. "Come on. George wants your help putting the crib together."

Mitchell groaned and allowed Annie to pull him to his feet. He was happy for George and Nina, truly he was, but this baby was also a stark reminder of what he and Annie could never have. A melancholy mood descended over him.

Annie stopped in the hallway and tugged him close for a quick kiss. "Tonight, when we go to bed, will you tell me more about Darcy Clare?" Her voice held a note of longing. She did not sleep, but usually spent the night wrapped in Mitchell's embrace.

Mitchell pressed his lips to her forehead. "I promise," he vowed.

"Mitchell!" George's voice drifted up the steps. "I need help with the crib. Are you coming?"

The vampire shook his head and exchanged an exasperated look with Annie before they headed downstairs hand in hand.

The End


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